The problem with anything that does something practical is that it will eventually need to be improved, right? To prove my point, let’s flick back the years and revisit Hitler and his ‘toys’ for example. As he carved through Europe, dispelling all in his path, he did so with and because of vastly superior machinery – for a while anyway. The Battle of Britain was a prime example when his ME-109s were the fighter planes to have, until the British unleashed their Spitfire and totally pissed off the Luftwaffe, and his twitching ‘tash became, well, less twitchy. Hurrah, hurrah, and all that. But my point here, if there is one, is that machine development has to come from the people who are involved around them and use them, and this is most certainly the case with the new Yamaha 2014 XT1200ZE Super Ténéré, which is not necessarily for military use but would eagerly accept the appointment I’m sure.
You see, the first Yamaha Super T’ was released back in 2010 with great anticipation but, even though it was a good Adventure bike, it lacked in areas where the European equivalents seemed to be better (not the ME-109 that is), and this obviously annoyed the Yamaha engineers. So they listened to the people who owned one or worked on them and changed what they asked for to improve the package, which is nice. Has it worked though? Most certainly yes!
So what was wrong with the old one you ask? Well, in my opinion, it was bit slow and lacked the fancy gadgets of the latest wave of fighter planes, er, sorry I meant Adventure bikes, and it just felt a bit bland. But I can now report that has all changed – hurrah, hurrah, and all that.
So what has changed because at a quick glance it looks very much the same thing, which I’d have to agree? However, get up close, read the book and it’s definitely not.
The engine is the same 1,199cc parallel twin, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve, fuel injected unit with a dry sump, which means it has a separate oil tank instead of all the oil held in the sump. But for 2014 it now has bigger inlet and exhaust ports, lighter and revised cams, new piston rings for less friction and a new exhaust. Only two more horsepower is claimed and the torque has gone up three Nm to 117Nm @ 6,000rpm. Doesn’t sound too much does it, but when you open the throttle bodies it’s a different story.
No longer does this punchy engine feel flat, instead it picks up much quicker throughout the entire rev range, making those new power output figures feel a bit low. Combine this with new dampers throughout the shaft drive assembly and you now have, or Yamaha does, the smoothest big-bore-twin Adventure ride on the market – sweet.
Now this one here is the top of the range ZE model, which means it has Yamaha’s fancy-pants electronic suspension package, heated grips, cruise control, main stand, hand protectors, ‘suede look’ newly designed seat and other bits I’ve forgotten about. So the 2014 Super T’ does now have the same equipment levels as the others, which is what Hitler would most certainly have ordered. Other standard features (found on the lesser Z model) include traction control, linked brakes and the D-Mode thingy, which is an ignition and fuel map where, at the press of a button, puts the rider into T (Touring - never used) or S (Sport -always left on) mode. I hate those ‘detuned’ power bollocks modes – I’ll decide how much I’ll twist the throttle thank you, and that goes out to all manufacturers.
Also, and predictably, Yamaha has joined in with the electronic suspension game and you can easily spot this i-shock version by looking at the rear shock that’ll be riddled with input wires, sensors and stuff. You can fiddle around all day with pre-sets or use your own settings and there are 84 permutations to confuse yourself with, which you will. I just left it wherever it was when I turned it on (lazy bast’), but it will adapt to any environment you choose and after riding the latest BMW 1200 GS, and indeed the electronic version of the KTM 1190, I will stand in front of a million or more frantic, frothing people and spit out that this has THE best suspension package of them all, so there. Hurrah, und ja, and all that…
Another thing that now dominates this class is the XT’s new LCD instrument pod. It does everything, is easy to use, is gorgeous to look at either in the day or even better at night and makes you feel like you’re in a Dakar of your own - very cool Yamaha dudes. And it sits behind a newly designed four-way adjustable windscreen, because the old one was about as much use as a hosepipe that’s been bitten by a thousand puff adders.
A few other aesthetic mods are found in the front end, which is restyled to make it look prettier, which this white one is. The exhaust looks much better, and it’s far more comfortable to ride after a complete makeover of the handlebars and where and what they’re attached to – even better to ride off-road now, so I’m told.
Right, it’s sum it all up time; I love this big Adventure bike and I’m not normally a fan of these things. It’s made in Japan so the build quality is exemplary; it’s easy to ride and live with and now feels just right. I prefer it to the weird feeling BMW 1200 GS with its odd suspension and still bad gearbox to clutch action. The KTM is faster for sure but I would still choose the super comfy 2014 XT1200ZE if I had a choice. The others are better in some areas but not overall. I mean, a Porsche Cayenne turbo is faster than a Range Rover, but which is the better vehicle for its intended use, see where I’m coming from? Hurrah, hurrah and all that…
Available from www.centurionyamaha.co.za and also visit www.yamaha.co.za 
